Fish and Butterflies

Yesterday I traveled about 70 miles outside of 285 to Callaway Gardens.  The main reason I went was to experience the Day Butterfly Center.  Since the Butterfly Center was not as big as I expected I decided to do a few other things. 


So I began my day in the Butterfly Center.  First of all it was HOTTTT inside.  I knew it was going to be humid to mimic the tropical environment, but I didn't think I would feel like an oven.  But besides that it was nice to see all the butterflies flying around and not worry about any bees.  I got there early so it was not packed with people. There were some folks with really nice cameras with LONG lenses, I felt like an amateur snapping pictures with with a cell phone. Here are a few pics of butterflies that I hadn't seen before.
 



The "eye" helps to ward off predators.

  

After leaving the Butterfly Center I decided to rent a bike. (No helmet cause I'm a G!!!)   It looked like it was from the 1970's but oh well.  I rode to the Sibley Horticultural Center first to take a look at the plants. I  really liked the bike trail because it went through the shady woods.  

I don't even like bananas but I like looking at the banana plants. Fun fact.....they are PLANTS not TREES.

  




Banana Flower with bananas at the top.



After looking at the plants I decided to feed the Koi.  Here is a little video of........fish.

After leaving the Sibley Horticultural Center I rode my rented 1970's bike to the vegetable garden.  This is  where The Victory Garden was filmed.  That's an old PBS show that used to come on back in the day when everyone had nine channels. There were a lot of flowers and a lot of bees.  There was a sign up to inform the visitors not to eat/pick the fruits and veggies.  But lo and behold there were a group of folks chowing down on what appeared to be muscadines.



Three bees on a Sunflower. Please don't sting me!

Pretty Peppers



My solo day trip to Callaway Gardens was good.  I got a great workout riding that old bike around and got a little closer to nature.  It's always good to get outside and stop being mesmerized by little glowing rectangles all day.   If you ever go, be sure to get water and snacks BEFORE you go into the park.  I bought some water, a small bag of chips and a Twix for almost six dollars!!!

A Universal Tour

Thursday, curiosity carried me 41 miles outside of 285.  After arrival, I picked up an informative pamphlet about the locale.  The one thing that stuck out about this little informational nugget was the quote on the front. (below)

Quite grandiose wouldn't you say????

When I read this, I didn't know if the authors were serious or just being facetious.  Did they really feel this strongly about this place?  Would I have the opportunity to complete my experience as a human being on this day??? Well lets find out shall we.

This metal sphere is the first site on the tour.

Do you know where I went?  Take a guess.

Stone Mountain

Three-hundred million years ago the "pre" continents of Africa and North America collided,and yesterday I ventured 10 miles outside  of 285 to see one of the results.......Stone Mountain.  If you are from Atlanta you definitely know about, and have probably been to Stone Mountain. There are a lot of things to do for families, especially kids as noted here: http://www.stonemountainpark.com/ . But if you don't have a gaggle of kids there are still things to do. Get your fitness on and just go climb the great granite monolith!!!!

Lets get started!!!

Parking is 10$, but it is more economical to get a yearly pass for 32$ if you plan on coming more often.  If you want to work it out, you can walk up the mountain or run/bike the 5 mile path at the base. I have trotted around the base quite a few times this year, but this was only my second time on the walk up trail.

If you go in the summer you gotta get you a** out of bed before the sun begins baking the granite.  I got here around 8, and the temperature was in the low 70's.....perfecto!!!!  But of course the high temp reached 100 later on.



Which step should I take???? Decisions, Decisions

As I made my way upwards, I saw a few dudes running up with their shirts off.....of course that's always a plus. They were running soooo fast, I had no time for pics :(

What's on the bottom of that pole?

Ughhh, gum and bees....wonder who started this "tradition?"



Getting a little scared!!!

For those of you with a mild case of acrophobia (like me), this is the first place where you'll feel your heart rate rise and a little tingling sensation in the legs.  But just suck it up, grab the railings and go. FYI....that is not the top.

You can finally see the top off in the distance. Once you have conquered the "railing" you can take the yellow steeper way to the top or the white easier way.  Yesterday I took the yellow way up (without looking back of course) and the white way down.  Below is a panoramic view from the top.

At the top throwing a little shade to the "shades."

It took me 36 minutes to reach the top (over 1600 ft)...including a couple stops to sip on water and snap pics.  There were a lot of people of all ages making the climb.  So if you want to come alone, there should not be any problems.  I went alone and I was not abducted!!!  Its funny, the most black people I've seen on my ventures thus far just happens to be the birthplace of the New KKK back in 1915.  Oh, the irony.

A Summer Afternoon at the Monastery

Today I ventured 15 miles outside of I-285 to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA. I first heard about this place while getting ready for work one morning this past spring. As I sat on the couch contemplating another day of work, the morning news ran a story about the monastery. Prior to this I didn't even know there was a monastery this close to Atlanta. So after a little research at www.trappist.net it was time to roll out.



The Monastic Heritage Center

After leaving the parking lot, I was already sweating profusely by the time I got to the Heritage Center. I suppose I should have been grateful that it was only 95 degrees unlike this weekend when we had two back to back days of 106, but once it gets over 90, its all the same. In the center, there was a very informative video pertaining to the history, and other facts about this Catholic Monastery. If you bleed green, you can even have a green burial across the street in the cemetery. You too can be buried monk style.....no embalming or casket required.
After the video I proceeded down the hall, where there was more information. At the exit of this part of the center, there is a small bonsai garden. These trees are carefully cultivated by the monks. Its very peaceful with the sound of trickling water.

After leaving the bonsai garden, I entered the barn. Here there are nice exhibits providing more information about the Monastery. The most interesting exhibit to me was "A Day in the Life of a Monk." In a nutshell, they get up around 4 and go to bed around 8. During the day they have 4.5 hours of labor and spend the rest of the time eating, praying, studying, attending mass and in "divine pondering."  I don't know about you, but that sounds fine to me.

After leaving the barn, I proceeded to the Bonsai Store/Greenhouse and next to the Garden Cafe for a little libation. 
The Abby Church, Retreat House and lake are a 4-5 minute walk from the Heritage Center. Visitors are not allowed inside the retreat house(unless you are actively retreating) or the monks living quarters. But if life's got you down you too can take a weekend or mid-week retreat here. 

The beautiful blue hue of light emanating from the stained glass windows inside the Abby Church.

The duck filled lake is nestled down the hill from the Church/Retreat complex. I hadn't seen sooooo many ducks at the same place in a while.  They began to swim towards me, but sorry, no food for you.


Path to the lake.




OMG, the ducks are coming to get me!!!

After leaving the lake, I ran into a couple of folks with two big bags of bread heading to the lake. Guess that's who they were waiting for. 

After leaving the lake I made my way back to the welcoming air-conditioned Abbey Store.  There is a nice flower bed right outside the entrance and the fragrant smell was wonderful.  The monks are apparently famous for their fudge, biscotti and fruitcake.  So since I don't like fruitcake or biscotti (unless accompanied by black coffee), the fudge won out.  Now eight dollars for 6oz of fudge is pretty pricey, but I'm worth it.  It's pretty tasty...but take note, I'm by no means a fudge connoisseur.
So, this is was a nice outing, it would be even better on a cool fall or spring day.  Technically everything is free (including parking) but donations are welcomed.
I saw one black person during my visit.  On my last trip outside of 285 I didn't see any.  Come on people, lets get outside of 285!!!!